Shorty’s – A Dog Friendly Dive Bar Arcade in Belltown

Shorty’s – A Dog Friendly Dive Bar Arcade in Belltown

Last night, Joe and I went to a friend’s birthday party in Belltown at Shorty’s, sans pups. (Yes, we do leave the house without the dogs, on occasion…) Anyway, come to find out Shorty’s is in fact dog-friendly. I shared this on the Dog Gone Seattle Facebook page with a note that we’d be back with a camera and the dogs to do a review. Well, I lied. We probably won’t be back to Shorty’s for some time, so let’s just pretend we went with the dogs and I’ll tell you what I thought.

Shorty’s is the quintessential dive bar slash arcade on Coney Island, I mean, Belltown. With clowns.

Okay, can we talk about the clowns? They are scary. And they are everywhere. NOT A FAN.

Seriously, you could film a psycho horror flick within the confines of Shorty’s.

So, enjoy your beer with these little fellows staring at you.

No big deal.

The appeal of Shorty’s is the pinball. People apparently come from far and wide to play pinball at Shorty’s. I swear to Dog, I even overheard a couple (down from Everett) talking about how they were going to have their honeymoon at a pinball tournament in Vegas. To each their own. But I digress…

So if you like Pinball (or Buck Hunter, Golden Tee, PacMan, etc.) this is your place. Other “appeals”: Very cheap hipster beer, stiff drinks, and hot dogs. I don’t really consider hot dogs that have been heating all day a highlight, but that’s just me.

Anyway, Joe had a good time with the Golden Tee, and I entertained myself with Nakey Photo Hunt for about 20 minutes. But that’s my limit of finding the differences between bra straps and undies on a computer screen. After that I kinda just people watched.

Oh, the people. The crowd is weirdgrungy eclectic. A bunch of dudes (and a few dudettes) drinking Hamms. A bit smelly, though that could have been the nacho cheese sauce. Go outside to get a breath of fresh air and you will be accosted by pushy pan handlers. (I used to live in Belltown. Can you tell I don’t miss it?)

Summary… Shorty’s is not my favorite bar. Can you bring your dogs there? Absolutely. Would I bring my dogs there? Probably not. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of place to hang out with your dogs, (or the kind of place I like to hang out period, but that’s just me.) Plus, with so many other dog friendly establishments in Seattle, I would just choose to go elsewhere.

Based on Yelp, a lot of people really love Shorty’s, and I’m sure some of you will feel differently about this place. It obviously has a strong following. If you go with your dog, please share your experience. I would be curious to hear how it went!